Cold Miles, Warm Company: Marathon 2

Marathon number two took us to Kent, following a brilliantly planned route in and around south-east London, curated by the duo that is Charlie Gurr and Alex Dale. The level of detail that went into the route map was clear from the outset – well thought through, varied, and a genuinely enjoyable way to cover marathon distance.

It was bloody cold to start. Waking up to -4°C raised a few concerns about underfoot conditions, but compared to much of the country that weekend, we were lucky. Conditions were good, and once the sun came up it turned into a clear, bright, and genuinely beautiful day for running.

One of the day’s highlights was the support. Alex and Charlie’s family and friends were out in force, both running sections and helping along the route. We started with around nine runners for the first 10 miles before that naturally thinned out. From mile 16 onwards there were four of us still moving well – a serious effort from everyone involved.

My best mate, Charlie Andrews, ran the first 12km with us. He’s taking on the Middlesex leg of the London Marathon in April, so this fitted neatly into his training block. Later on, we were joined for the final 5 miles by Tracy, Charlie (Gurr)’s mum – perfectly timed as the legs were starting to feel it!

The pace plan was built around helping Alex chase a big ~one-hour marathon PB, targeting around 5 hours 15 minutes. She was outstanding throughout – steady, determined, and completely unfazed by the distance. No complaints, just consistent running from start to finish. She crossed the line in 5 hours 20 minutes, an excellent result and a huge leap forward from her previous marathon time.

The atmosphere throughout the day was spot on. Glorious winter sunshine, plenty of encouragement, and well-organised support all the way round. A big thank you to Bexley AC, whose crew kept things ticking with snack stations, jelly babies, bottles of water, and support both on foot and on bikes.

A hot shower at Erith Leisure Centre afterwards was very welcome, before I demolished a McDonald’s. I’ve promised myself that won’t be the case every time… but I’m not off to a great start!

It was a really memorable day, and one I’m still riding the high from. Charlie and Alex even had medals made for the occasion, which was a great touch. There’s photographic evidence that Alex was still proudly wearing hers later that evening, in her pyjamas, while getting stuck in to a pizza.

As a bonus, ITV London interviewed Charlie and Alex beforehand, and we managed to get starting footage over to them in time for the 2pm Sunday bulletin. Another strong week of coverage for the cause, and another marathon ticked off.

Huge thanks again to Charlie, Alex, their friends and family, the Bexley AC crew, and Erith Leisure Centre for making the day what it was.

Check out more pictures of the day on Instagram.

Two down.